Airlines and EC clash over charges for disabled travellers

The European commission and EU-based airlines will today clash over proposals to ban charges for helping disabled passengers, with several carriers, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, demanding an opt-out.

The proposals, prompted by the legal battle in Britain over Ryanair's decision to charge disabled passengers for assistance, are the first of their kind and will outlaw outright denial of boarding. Jacques Barrot, the transport commissioner, will refuse to bow to the demand from the Association of European Airlines for an opt-out from the planned centralised system of special services for the disabled - provided by individual airport operators and financed by a fee levied on airlines.

But the AEA, which claims that the proposed system will add up to 40p a ticket, says the opt-out is needed for carriers, such as BA, that offer a premium service to their disabled passengers at some airports.

The AEA is lobbying MEPs to support the opt-out when the proposal goes to the European parliament this year.

But Richard Howitt, a Labour MEP and president of the parliament's disability rights group, urged the parliament to stand firm. He dismissed the airlines' estimates of extra ticket costs as "nowhere near that".

Mr Howitt, who led a demonstration 18 months ago against Ryanair at Stansted airport, which is in his constituency, said: "Around 7 million passengers on European flights need special assistance each year and it is clear that low-cost airlines like Ryanair need the force of law to ensure that this service is provided free.

"The airlines are trying to wriggle off the hook, and we have fought for five years to get this ... I am particularly disappointed that big name airlines ... are seeking to undermine the proposals through an opt-out."

The AEA said companies such as BA would be happy to take part in a centralised system at airports where it carried, say, two disabled passengers a day but not at Heathrow where it catered for up to 300. "They've invested in special facilities and staff training and it's part of their brand to offer a premium service," AEA officials said.

Mr Howitt argued that an opt-out would undermine the concept of a tailored service from rail or bus terminal to the plane's doors.

"Opting out would bump up the costs for other airlines - and passengers," he said. "They're trying to save a bit of money and they should just drop the idea."